Cannondale SM600/800

[amelsom]

Hi,

First off just to say I'm new to the forum, so hello all!

I've just been given an 1992 Cannondale SM600/800 Bike from my dad, to start as a project to restore. I've managed to strip the bike to a bare frame, and had the crank shaft and bottom bracket out to clean, I had to take the bike to a shop to have the forks removed as the headstock had rusted on. They had to cut this off so the forks are now useless ( i was going to replace these anyway as they are an old steel fork). I'm now wondering what parts will fit the frame as I know the Cannondale isn't a standard 1 1/8 fitting, Could anyone recommend a good set of Suspension forks for this frame, I'm not looking for anything to pricy at the moment, as I want to ride it and get a feel for the frame, So just looking to get it back on the road.

I would also need to replace, the rear-derailier and the front de-railer, and also the gear system and braking system, as all the cables had rusted up and tubes have damaged over time. I'm guessing I would need to invest in a new group set for this? The bike is a 7 Speed at the moment I"m not sure how easy it is to upgrade this, so some advice on this would be great. I've visited the vintagecannondale website, and had a look on there, but i'm still not 100% sure what I would need. I'm based in the UK so UK parts would be ideal. I"ve looked on ebay, but as I've said i'm not quite sure what i'm looking for, any advice on this would be much appreciated!

 

[magicmistertea]

okay... if you want to keep it retro...leave it as a 7 speed... thats enough gears for anyone !!
personally i would keep rigid forks on it...
a few pics would be good.. and would probably inspire people to reply to your thread with all your questions.

the parts you put on it depend upon the money you want to spend, the cheapest way would be to buy a donor bike and swap all the bits over.
the headset will be a 1" so just look for a 1" headset and forks in the for sale section... making sure the steerer tube is long enough for your frame.

 

[MikeD]

Best have some pictures so we know exactly what you've got -- there wasn't an M600 in the 1992 catalogue, and the 800 was the Beast of the East (high BB, sloping top tube). The 800 would originally have had an aluminium Pepperoni fork. They all went to 1.25in headsets for 1992, if you're more interested in practicality than period correctness then headset reducer shims will let you put a 1-1/8in headset in and open up parts choice considerably. If you want suspension you'll need something short travel, ideally shorter than any modern fork (although I've run 80mm ones on mine and it was OK).

Don't go mad replacing all the parts, give the derailleurs/shifters a good clean up and see how they look. Cables are cheap and 7spd cassettes and chains are easy to come by.

 

[feetabix]

all good advice.....relax and let it come together....welcome to the party by the way!.....

 

[ez054098]

Pictures?

 

[amelsom]

Pictures attached.

Hi guys, thanks for the reply's. I've taken some pictures of the frame and of the original parts that i've taken off the bike, I woud like to restore with the orignal parts, I"m having some trouble with the rear de-railer the top cog doesn't spin freely and is tough to turn after cleaning. I think the bike is an 89 not an 1992 like my dad thought, i've checked the serial on the bottom of the frame. Have a look at the pictures and any advice would be great! I've taken one with the orignal forks in place, but as you can see the Headset and down pipe of fork has been cut off. What size forks would i need?

 

[amelsom]

more pics

more pictures.

 

[amelsom]

last set

last set of pictures.

 

[MikeD]

1989 build date, 1990 model year, 1in headset. Parts look in OK shape, although those shifters were never much cop

 

[amelsom]

Yeah the shifters feel really stiff so I will probably replace them, will i need to find a set of Shimano 7 speed shifters?